Events served as the reason for the Decembrists' speech. Literary and historical notes of a young technician

Decembrist revolt

Prerequisites

The conspirators decided to take advantage of the complex legal situation that had developed around the rights to the throne after the death of Alexander I. On the one hand, there was a secret document confirming the long-standing renunciation of the throne by the brother next to the childless Alexander in seniority, Konstantin Pavlovich, which gave an advantage to the next brother, who was extremely unpopular among the highest military-bureaucratic elite to Nikolai Pavlovich. On the other hand, even before the opening of this document, Nikolai Pavlovich, under pressure from the Governor-General of St. Petersburg, Count M.A. Miloradovich, hastened to renounce his rights to the throne in favor of Konstantin Pavlovich.

On November 27, the population swore an oath to Constantine. Formally, a new emperor appeared in Russia; several coins with his image were even minted. But Constantine did not accept the throne, but also did not formally renounce it as emperor. An ambiguous and extremely tense interregnum situation was created. Nicholas decided to declare himself emperor. The second oath, the “re-oath,” was scheduled for December 14. The moment the Decembrists had been waiting for had arrived - a change of power. The members of the secret society decided to speak out, especially since the minister already had a lot of denunciations on his desk and arrests could soon begin.

The state of uncertainty lasted for a very long time. After the repeated refusal of Konstantin Pavlovich from the throne, the Senate, as a result of a long night meeting on December 13-14, 1825, recognized legal rights to the throne of Nikolai Pavlovich.

The plans of the conspirators. Southern and Northern societies negotiated on coordination of actions and established contacts with the Polish Patriotic Society and the Society of United Slavs. The Decembrists planned to kill the Tsar at a military review, seize power with the help of the Guard and realize their goals. The performance was scheduled for the summer of 1826. However, on November 19, 1825, Alexander I suddenly died in Taganrog. The throne was supposed to pass to the deceased’s brother Konstantin, because Alexander had no children. But back in 1823, Constantine secretly abdicated the throne, which now, according to the law, passed to the next senior brother - Nicholas. Unaware of Constantine's abdication, the Senate, guard and army swore allegiance to him on November 27. After clarifying the situation, they re-sworn the oath to Nikolai, who, due to his personal qualities (pettiness, martinet, vindictiveness, etc.) was not liked in the guard. Under these conditions, the Decembrists had the opportunity to take advantage of the sudden death of the tsar, the fluctuations in power that found themselves in an interregnum, as well as the hostility of the guard towards the heir to the throne. It was also taken into account that some senior dignitaries took a wait-and-see attitude towards Nicholas and were ready to support active actions directed against him. In addition, it became known that the Winter Palace knew about the conspiracy and arrests of members of the secret society, which in fact had ceased to be secret, could soon begin.

The Decembrists planned in the current situation to raise the guards regiments, assemble them Senate Square and force the Senate “with kindness” or under threat of arms to publish the “Manifesto to the Russian People,” which proclaimed the destruction of the autocracy, the abolition of serfdom, the establishment of the Provisional Government, political freedoms, etc. Part of the rebels was supposed to seize the Winter Palace and arrest the royal family, it was planned capture the Peter and Paul Fortress. In addition, P.G. Kakhovsky took upon himself the task of killing Nikolai before the start of the speech, but never decided to carry it out. Prince S.P. was elected leader of the uprising (“dictator”). Trubetskoy.

Uprising plan

The Decembrists decided to prevent the troops and the Senate from taking the oath to the new king. The rebel troops were supposed to occupy the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress, the royal family was planned to be arrested and, under certain circumstances, killed. A dictator, Prince Sergei Trubetskoy, was elected to lead the uprising.

After this, it was planned to demand that the Senate publish a national manifesto, which would proclaim the “destruction of the former government” and the establishment of a Provisional Revolutionary Government. It was supposed to make Count Speransky and Admiral Mordvinov its members (later they became members of the trial of the Decembrists).

Deputies had to approve a new fundamental law - the constitution. If the Senate did not agree to publish the people's manifesto, it was decided to force it to do so. The manifesto contained several points: the establishment of a provisional revolutionary government, the abolition of serfdom, equality of all before the law, democratic freedoms (press, confession, labor), the introduction of jury trials, the introduction of compulsory military service for all classes, the election of officials, the abolition of the poll tax.

After this, a National Council (Constituent Assembly) was to be convened, which was supposed to decide on the form of government - a constitutional monarchy or a republic. In the second case royal family should have been deported abroad. In particular, Ryleev proposed deporting Nikolai to Fort Ross. However, then the plan of the “radicals” (Pestel and Ryleev) involved the murder of Nikolai Pavlovich and, possibly, Tsarevich Alexander. [source not specified 579 days]

Progress of the uprising. From the early morning of December 14, officers-members of the “Northern Society” campaigned among soldiers and sailors, convincing them not to swear allegiance to Nicholas, but to support Konstantin and “his wife “Constitution”.” They managed to bring part of the Moscow, Grenadier regiments and the Guards naval crew to Senate Square (about 3.5 thousand people in total). But by this time the senators had already sworn allegiance to Nicholas and dispersed. Trubetskoy, observing the implementation of all parts of the plan, saw that it was completely disrupted and, convinced of the doom of the military action, did not appear on the square. This in turn caused confusion and slowness of action.

Nicholas surrounded the square with troops loyal to him (12 thousand people, 4 guns). But the rebels repulsed the cavalry attacks, and Governor-General Miloradovich, who tried to persuade the rebels to surrender their weapons, was mortally wounded by Kakhovsky. After this, artillery was brought into action. The protest was suppressed, and in the evening mass arrests began.

Uprising in Ukraine. In the South, they learned about the events in the capital belatedly. On December 29, the Chernigov regiment led by S. Muravyov-Apostol rebelled, but it was not possible to raise the entire army. On January 3, the regiment was defeated by government forces.

In details

Ryleev asked Kakhovsky early in the morning of December 14 to enter the Winter Palace and kill Nikolai. Kakhovsky initially agreed, but then refused. An hour after the refusal, Yakubovich refused to lead the sailors of the Guards crew and the Izmailovsky regiment to the Winter Palace.

On December 14, officers - members of the secret society were still in the barracks after dark and campaigned among the soldiers. By 11 a.m. on December 14, 1825, the Moscow Guards Regiment entered Senate Square. By 11 a.m. on December 14, 1825, 30 Decembrist officers brought about 3,020 people to Senate Square: soldiers of the Moscow and Grenadier regiments and sailors of the Guards naval crew.

However, a few days before this, Nikolai was warned about his intentions secret societies the chief of the General Staff I.I. Dibich and the Decembrist Ya.I. Rostovtsev (the latter considered the uprising against the tsar incompatible with noble honor). At 7 o'clock in the morning, the senators took the oath to Nicholas and proclaimed him emperor. Trubetskoy, who was appointed dictator, did not appear. The rebel regiments continued to stand on Senate Square until the conspirators could come to a common decision on the appointment of a new leader.

Inflicting a mortal wound on M. A. Miloradovich on December 14, 1825. Engraving from a drawing belonging to G. A. Miloradovich

Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, St. Petersburg military governor-general, Count Mikhail Miloradovich, appearing on horseback in front of the soldiers lined up in a square, “said that he himself willingly wanted Constantine to be emperor, but what to do if he refused: he assured them that he himself saw the new renunciation and persuaded them to believe it.” E. Obolensky, leaving the ranks of the rebels, convinced Miloradovich to drive away, but seeing that he was not paying attention to this, he easily wounded him in the side with a bayonet. At the same time, Kakhovsky shot the Governor General with a pistol (the wounded Miloradovich was taken to the barracks, where he died that same day). Colonel Sturler and Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich tried unsuccessfully to bring the soldiers into obedience. Then the rebels twice repulsed the attack of the Horse Guards led by Alexei Orlov.

A large crowd of St. Petersburg residents gathered on the square and the main mood of this huge mass, which, according to contemporaries, numbered in tens of thousands of people, was sympathy for the rebels. They threw logs and stones at Nicholas and his retinue. Two “rings” of people were formed - the first consisted of those who came earlier, it surrounded the square of the rebels, and the second ring was formed of those who came later - their gendarmes were no longer allowed into the square to join the rebels, and they stood behind the government troops who surrounded the rebel square. Nikolai, as can be seen from his diary, understood the danger of this environment, which threatened great complications. He doubted his success, “seeing that the matter was becoming very important, and not yet foreseeing how it would end.” It was decided to prepare crews for members of the royal family for a possible escape to Tsarskoye Selo. Later, Nikolai told his brother Mikhail many times: “The most amazing thing in this story is that you and I weren’t shot then.” [source not specified 579 days]

Nicholas sent Metropolitan Seraphim and Kyiv Metropolitan Eugene to persuade the soldiers. But in response, according to the testimony of Deacon Prokhor Ivanov, the soldiers began to shout to the metropolitans: “What kind of metropolitan are you, when in two weeks you swore allegiance to two emperors... We don’t believe you, go away!..” The metropolitans interrupted the soldiers’ conviction when the Life Guards appeared on the square Grenadier Regiment and Guards Crew, under the command of Nikolai Bestuzhev and the Decembrist Lieutenant Arbuzov.

But the gathering of all the rebel troops occurred only more than two hours after the start of the uprising. An hour before the end of the uprising, the Decembrists elected a new “dictator” - Prince Obolensky. But Nicholas managed to take the initiative into his own hands, and the encirclement of the rebels by government troops, more than four times larger than the rebels in numbers, was already completed. In total, 30 Decembrist officers brought about 3,000 soldiers to the square. According to Gabaev’s calculations, 9 thousand infantry bayonets, 3 thousand cavalry sabers were collected against the rebel soldiers, in total, not counting the artillerymen called up later (36 guns), at least 12 thousand people. Because of the city, another 7 thousand infantry bayonets and 22 cavalry squadrons, that is, 3 thousand sabers, were called up and stopped at the outposts as a reserve, that is, in total, another 10 thousand people stood in reserve at the outposts.

Nikolai was afraid of the onset of darkness, since most of all he feared that “the excitement would not be communicated to the mob,” which could become active in the dark. Guards artillery appeared from the Admiralteysky Boulevard under the command of General I. Sukhozanet. A volley of blank charges was fired at the square, not effected. Then Nikolai ordered to shoot with grapeshot. The first salvo was fired above the ranks of the rebel soldiers - at the “mobs” on the roof of the Senate building and the roofs of neighboring houses. The rebels responded to the first volley of grapeshot with rifle fire, but then they began to flee under a hail of grapeshot. According to V.I. Shteingel: “It could have been limited to this, but Sukhozanet fired a few more shots along the narrow Galerny Lane and across the Neva towards the Academy of Arts, where more of the curious crowd fled!” Crowds of rebel soldiers rushed onto the Neva ice to move to Vasilyevsky Island. Mikhail Bestuzhev tried to again form soldiers into battle formation on the ice of the Neva and go on the offensive against the Peter and Paul Fortress. The troops lined up, but were fired at by cannonballs. The cannonballs hit the ice and it split, many drowned.

Arrest and trial

Main article: Trial of the Decembrists

By nightfall the uprising was over. Hundreds of corpses remained in the square and streets. Based on the papers of the official of the III Department, M. M. Popov, N. K. Shilder wrote: After the cessation of artillery fire, Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich ordered the Chief of Police, General Shulgin, that the corpses be removed by morning. Unfortunately, the perpetrators acted in the most inhumane manner. On the night on the Neva, from the Isaac Bridge to the Academy of Arts and further to the side of Vasilievsky Island, many ice holes were made, into which not only corpses were lowered, but, as they claimed, also many wounded, deprived of the opportunity to escape from the fate that awaited them. Those of the wounded who managed to escape hid their injuries, afraid to open up to doctors, and died without medical care.

371 soldiers of the Moscow Regiment, 277 of the Grenadier Regiment and 62 sailors of the Sea Crew were immediately arrested and sent to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The arrested Decembrists were brought to the Winter Palace. Emperor Nicholas himself acted as an investigator.

By decree of December 17, 1825, a Commission was established for research into malicious societies, chaired by Minister of War Alexander Tatishchev. On May 30, 1826, the investigative commission presented Emperor Nicholas I with a report compiled by D. N. Bludov. The manifesto of June 1, 1826 established the Supreme Criminal Court of three state estates: the State Council, the Senate and the Synod, with the addition of “several persons from the highest military and civil officials.” A total of 579 people were involved in the investigation. On July 13, 1826, Kondraty Ryleev, Pavel Pestel, Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, and Pyotr Kakhovsky were hanged on the roof of the Peter and Paul Fortress. 121 Decembrists were exiled to Siberia for hard labor or settlement.

Reasons for the defeat of the Decembrist uprising

Narrow social base, focus on military revolution and conspiracy.

Insufficient secrecy, as a result of which the government knew about the plans of the conspirators.

Lack of necessary unity and coordination of actions;

The unpreparedness of the majority of educated society and the nobility for the elimination of autocracy and serfdom;

Cultural and political backwardness of the peasantry and the rank and file of the army.

Historical meaning

Having been defeated in the socio-political struggle, the Decembrists won a spiritual and moral victory, showed an example of true service to their fatherland and people, and contributed to the formation of a new moral personality.

The experience of the Decembrist movement became the subject of reflection for the fighters against autocracy and serfdom that followed them, and influenced the entire course of the Russian liberation movement.

The Decembrist movement had a huge impact for the development of Russian culture.

However, based on the specific historical situation, the defeat of the Decembrists weakened the intellectual potential of Russian society, provoked an increase in government reaction, and delayed, according to P.Ya. Chaadaev, development of Russia for 50 years.

1. Decembrists - a revolutionary movement in Russia in the 20s. XIX century, which aimed to carry out large-scale reforms through revolutionary means Russian state and the abolition of serfdom. A feature of the Decembrist movement was that for the first time the class of nobility became the bearer of revolutionary ideas. The Decembrist movement arose in the second half of the second decade of the 19th century. The main prerequisites for the emergence of this movement were the spread of progressive and patriotic views among the nobility as a result of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 and a closer acquaintance with the life of Europe.

2. In their evolution, the Decembrist organizations went through the following stages:

- 1816 - formation in St. Petersburg of the first secret society of nobles - the “Union of Salvation”, which included future leaders of the movement (P.I. Pestel, M.I. Muravyov-Apostol, SP. Trubetskoy, etc. - 28 in total Human);

- 1818 - transformation of the secret circle - “Union of Salvation” into a numerous secret organization with an extensive structure - “Union of Welfare”, which included more than 200 people;

— 1820 - liquidation of the “Union of Welfare” due to internal contradictions (the desire of the majority to act exclusively peacefully), as well as the threat of disclosure of the organization;

- beginning of 1825 - creation of the Northern (St. Petersburg) and Southern (Ukraine) Decembrist societies.

3. The main program documents of the Northern and Southern societies were:

— Constitution by Nikita Muravyov;

— “Russian Truth” by Pavel Pestel.

The Constitution of Nikita Muravyov is the main program document of the Northern (St. Petersburg) society, the leader of the society Nikita Muravyov played a leading role in its drafting. Nikita Muravyov’s constitution had a dual nature:

- on the one hand, it contained a number of revolutionary ideas;

- on the other hand, it had a moderate monarchical character. According to the Constitution of Nikita Muravyov:

— Russia maintained a constitutional monarchy, in which the power of the emperor was significantly limited by law;

- the emperor became a symbol of the state and had almost no real power;

- a parliament was established - a bicameral People's Assembly;

— Russia was transformed into a federation of lands with broad self-government;

— serfdom was abolished, but landownership remained (peasants had to buy the land). "Russian Truth" - the constitutional project of the leader of the Southern Society, Pavel Pestel, was more radical. According to Russkaya Pravda:

— the monarchy was completely abolished in Russia;

- a presidential form of government was established;

- a parliament was established - the People's Assembly;

- government - the State Duma, consisting of 5 people;

- a Supreme Council was envisaged - a body of 120 people designed to monitor the rule of law in the country;

- serfdom and large landownership were abolished;

— the peasants received freedom along with the land.

4. The uprising, during which the noble revolutionaries were going to kill the tsar and take power into their own hands, was planned for the summer of 1826. However, a number of circumstances forced the rebels to act six months earlier:

— On November 19, 1825, Emperor Alexander I unexpectedly died and Russia was left without an emperor for almost a month;

— problems arose with the succession to the throne - according to the decree of Paul I, the childless Alexander I was to be succeeded by his next-oldest brother, Constantine, and the army initially swore allegiance to him;

- Constantine abandoned the throne, and his younger brother Nicholas was to become the new heir, the oath of allegiance to whom (re-oath) was scheduled for December 14, 1825. It was this day - December 14, 1825, which gave the name to the movement itself, that was chosen in as the date of the uprising. The uprising proceeded as follows:

- in the morning, units of the Moscow Regiment, led by a member of the Northern Society M.P., came out to Senate Square in St. Petersburg (near the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the monument to Peter I). Bestuzhev-Ryumin;

- according to the plan of the rebels, other forces of the rebels were to enter the square, after which the leaders of the Decembrists planned to enter the Senate building and present to the senators the Manifesto on the overthrow of the autocracy;

- contrary to the expectations of the rebels, a significant part of the units planning to march did not come to the square, and the leader of the uprising S. Trubetskoy also did not appear - the plans of the rebels were violated;

- at this time, the senators swore allegiance to the new Emperor Nicholas I, and the Governor-General of St. Petersburg M. Miloradovich came out to the rebels with a call to disperse;

- M. Miloradovich was killed by the Decembrist P. Kakhovsky, after which the peaceful path of development of the uprising was exhausted;

— soon troops loyal to the government approached the square and opened fire on the rebels;

— the rebels were forced to disperse and the uprising in St. Petersburg was suppressed.

5. After the defeat of the uprising in St. Petersburg on December 29, there was an uprising of the Chernigov regiment in Ukraine, led by a member of the Southern Society of the SI. Muravyov-Apostol. The rebel units of the Chernigov regiment hoped to save the uprising, but on January 3, 1826, the performance of the Chernigov regiment was suppressed by superior government troops.

6. The defeat of the uprising caused a wave of repression by the authorities:

— about 600 people were brought to justice;

- 131 people were found guilty and sentenced, mostly to exile in Siberia;

- five people - the leaders of the Decembrists (P. Pestel, K. Ryleev, S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and P. Kakhovsky) - were executed.

The main reasons for the defeat of the Decembrist uprising:

- lack of deep roots among the people;

- small number of rebels;

- weak organization of the uprising, contradictions within the Decembrists, reluctance of some of the rebels to go to the end.

7. The Decembrist uprising of 1825 had dual consequences:

- marked the beginning of the revolutionary movement of the 19th century;

- gave the authorities a reason to tighten repression, which continued throughout the entire 30-year reign of Nicholas I.

The Decembrist uprising is one of the most famous events in Russian history, and one of the most incomprehensible.

Who are these Decembrists? Romantics who challenged autocracy? Noble madmen who sacrificed themselves for a brighter future? Why did the nobility need to destroy the feudal order? Are they heroes or terrorists?

Decembrists

Most of the Decembrists were guards officers, many of whom went through the 12-year war. People are brave, decisive, and able to take risks. Many were well fed by power: generals, colonels. Of course, there were few of them. The main forces are junior officers: lieutenants, second lieutenants, captains. Many military men had ambitions and a desire to prove themselves in political life countries. But in the foundations of autocracy this is impossible to do.

The emergence of freethinking did not begin by chance. The history of the movement lasted more than one year, starting in 1814, although numerous prerequisites appeared in the second half of the 18th century, when a wave swept across Europe palace coups.

Using the example of these coups, the Russian nobility realized one thing that was unpleasant for the authorities. It is a sin to oppose the monarch to whom you have sworn allegiance. But if it’s for the benefit of the country, then it’s possible. And this was proven by numerous coups in other countries.

There was a certain split in consciousness. On the one hand - the Fatherland, on the other - the Sovereign.

For the sake of a higher goal, for the sake of the Fatherland, the sovereign can be removed. Many Decembrists, when interrogated during the investigation, answered quite sincerely that they swore allegiance not to the Tsar, but to Russia.

The French Revolution and, in general, campaigns across Europe played a major role in shaping public opinion. Enlightened ones educated people they saw that a system in which there is no serfdom, no despotism and silence is possible. It is quite possible to live without a monarch. At the same time, plants and factories are functioning and developing, trade is going on, no one is being exiled to Siberia.

All this gave rise to the desire to catch up with Europe in political, economic and moral development. Being military people, the Decembrists saw one way to achieve their goals, but they did not want blood, as was the case in the French Revolution. There is a well-known expression by Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, one of the leaders of the movement, who said: “Our revolution will be made military, and will not cost a single drop of blood.”
.

The conspiracy existed for quite a long time. Beginning in 1814, the Decembrist movement constantly organized secret societies and movements:

➤ Order of Russian Knights (1814-1817)

➤ Salvation Union (1816-1817)

➤ Welfare Union (1818-1821)

➤ Southern Society (1821-1825)

➤ Northern society (1821-1825)

➤ Practical Union (1825)

It is worth noting prominent figures in the movement. Those who went all the way: Guard Colonel Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy, Colonel Pavel Ivanovich Pestel, Captain of the General Staff Nikita Mikhailovich Muravyov, poet Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleev, philosopher Mikhail Sergeevich Lunin, hero Patriotic War 1812 Sergei Grigorievich Volkonsky.

Many nobles, entire families, including several generations, joined societies. For example, contemporaries joked that “seven Muravyovs from one anthill” took part in the movement.

The Decembrists put forward clear, well-drafted demands.

Main goals of the uprising:

➤ Abolition of the monarchy.

➤ Establishment of a provisional government.

➤ Introduction of the constitution.

➤ Legal equality, that is, the abolition of serfdom.

There were other demands regarding democratic freedoms. There was talk about the need to introduce jury trials. Military people did not ignore military service, wanting to make it mandatory for all classes.

December 14, 1825 - coup attempt

The main events took place on December 14, 1825 in St. Petersburg on Senate Square. This day was not chosen by chance. On this day, Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich was to become emperor of the Russian state. He had been waiting for this day for a long time and was preparing for it. Such was the will of his late brother, Emperor Alexander I.

Nicholas I was a man whom his contemporaries described briefly: “A martinet, inside and out.” He was distinguished by pedantry, discipline, and personal courage.

Of course, information about unrest in the ranks of the military reached the authorities, but no specific protest was put forward. This is also not surprising. The Decembrists planned to start an uprising the following year, 1826. They wanted to coincide with the performance - the 25th anniversary of the reign of Alexander I. But the emperor died earlier, and the conspirators decided to take advantage of this opportunity.

Although most of conspirators considered the act of killing the emperor unacceptable, a plan was developed according to which Pyotr Kakhovsky was to change into a prepared Life Guards uniform, enter the Winter Palace and kill Nicholas I. True, Kakhovsky refused to do this on the day of the uprising.

It was decided to act according to Trubetskoy’s plan. Three detachments had to carry out certain captures. One detachment went to the Winter Palace, the second captured the Peter and Paul Fortress, the third detachment went to the Senate and forced the senators to sign a manifesto to the Russian people declaring that everything had changed.

But here, too, everything went wrong. Yakubovich and Bulatov refused to lead their detachments to Zimny ​​and Petropavlovka. Historians say that Yakubovich’s personal ambitions and grievances against Count Trubetskoy played a large role in this refusal.

Members of the secret society were left to conduct propaganda in the barracks. By 11 o'clock, about 800 people were brought to Senate Square. Then the Grenadier Regiment and sailors joined the rebels. In total there are about 30 officers and 3 thousand soldiers.

But there was discord and lack of coordination among the officers. Prince Sergei Trubitskoy, who was supposed to become a dictator and the first president of Russia, did not appear on the square at all. And although this hero was not a coward, apparently he realized that there would be no victory.

Nicholas I could only guess about the scale and number of the rebel regiments. After all, at the time the riot began, only the Horse Guards and the Preobrazhensky Regiment had time to swear allegiance to him.

By order of Nicholas, the Preobrazhensky soldiers loaded their guns and followed the emperor to Senate Square. Nikolai walked under the bullets of the rebels on foot, like a simple foot officer. Such an act speaks of both his personal courage and his desperate situation.

It must be said that the new emperor tried with all his might, through negotiations, to bring some sense to the people who were confused in the political situation.

At first, Count Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich tried to reason with the military, but they pushed him away for a long time and persuaded him to leave. Ultimately, Kakhovsky shot and mortally wounded Miloradovich.

Kakhovsky, who refused to shoot the Tsar, according to the first plan, seemed to be taking revenge. Being in the midst of a crowd of rebels, he shot at Nikolai Sturler, who was trying to bring the rebels to obedience. He was also mortally wounded.

The younger brother of Nicholas I was also on the square, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich.

The new emperor tried to use every lever of influence on the rebellious rebels. He sent Metropolitan Seraphim and Metropolitan Eugene of Kyiv to the people. But their persuasion was in vain.

During the strange time of standing in the cold for five hours, Nicholas I managed to assess his strength and took the initiative into his own hands. His military forces outnumbered the rebels by no less than four to one.

What could the conspirators do? Attacking is pointless. Maneuvering is impossible. The rebels had only one hope - to wait until darkness.

The fact is that many of the attackers sympathized with the rebels, and under the cover of darkness they had a chance to leave the square virtually without losses.

But when it was already getting dark, government troops rolled out their cannons and loaded them with buckshot. The distance between the rebel square and the battery was no more than one hundred meters. The guns fired point-blank into the dense soldier formation. Six shots were enough to overturn the battle formations of the rebels. Soldiers and sailors rushed to retreat across the Neva. But the cannons rolled out onto the Embankment and the grapeshot, breaking the ice, hit the fleeing people. Those who managed to get to the opposite bank were cut down by the cavalry.

The uprising was crushed!

Reasons for the defeat of the Decembrists

Arrest and trial

All three thousand rebel soldiers, under the leadership of officers who are now commonly called Decembrists, were practically destroyed.

All the instigators were arrested. It must be said that here honor , so glorified by Russian writers and poets. Those who could flee abroad did not do so, considering such an act to be a betrayal towards their comrades.

Then the investigation began, during which the prisoners behaved very differently. The revolutionaries of the first time did not agree in advance on how to behave during the investigation. After all, they were sure that they would either win or die. They did not shield themselves or their friends. They were confident that they were right, that they cared about the Fatherland, and willingly gave evidence.

By order of Nikolai Pavlovich, the so-called code of Decembrists was compiled. This code was a hint to the emperor about what needed to be corrected in the country.

Separately, we can note the testimony of Pavel Ivanovich Pestel. He spoke as if he was addressing his descendants over his head, giving explanations for his actions.

In the end, the decision was made. Five of the ringleaders were hanged.

The rest were sent to Siberia, to hard labor and exile for various periods. But that is another story!

April 5th, 2015

I'm almost done posting more topics. This is already the ninth and penultimate topic. There were practically no volunteers to cover the second ten topics in the post, but the authors of the topics, in principle, can present them in the next vote.

So, today we have the topic of alternative history from a friend kisyha_74. The concept may not be entirely accurate, but there is certainly a certain current and direction that calls into question the official version of many historical events. History in general has always been a complex matter. And the further it goes into the depths of centuries, the more complicated it is. All these are just serifs and outlines for further independent study for those interested.

What claims are made against the well-known official version? On December 26, 1825, the Decembrist uprising broke out in St. Petersburg.

If you peel away the shavings of Soviet mythology, you can see a lot of interesting things.

1. The king is not real

In fact, the coup d'état took place not on December 26, but on November 27, 1825. On this day in St. Petersburg, the death of Emperor Alexander in Taganrog was announced and Konstantin Pavlovich, 2nd in seniority after the childless Alexander, was declared the new emperor. The Senate, the State Council and the entire capital hastily swore the oath to him. True, Constantine had no rights to the throne, since back in 1823 he abdicated the throne in favor of Nicholas, which was also formalized in Alexander’s spiritual will. Nikolai also took the oath to Konstantin under pressure from the military governor Miloradovich.

However, on December 3, Constantine renounced the crown. Either in St. Petersburg everyone decided to replay the game, or because Konstantin was afraid to share the fate of his father Paul I, he allegedly said: “They will strangle you, just like they strangled your father.” Nicholas was declared the legal heir to the throne. Everything that happened, of course, took place in an atmosphere of strict secrecy and gave rise to a lot of rumors.

2. Who is pulling the strings?

The oath of office to the new emperor was scheduled for December 14 (26). The Decembrists, who had previously not identified themselves in any way, timed their performance to coincide with the same date. They did not have a clear program, the idea was this: to bring the regiments to Senate Square that day in order to prevent the oath of allegiance to Nicholas. The main conspirator, Prince Trubetskoy, who was appointed dictator, did not come to the square at all; it is quite possible that the appointment happened retroactively. There was practically no coordination, Ryleev rushed around St. Petersburg, “like a sick man in his restless bed,” everything was done at random. It looks quite strange for a secret society that has been operating for several years, covering a significant part of the military elite, and having an extensive network throughout the country.

3. Orange technologies

Classic technologies were used to withdraw troops; today they would be called orange. So Alexander Bestuzhev, having arrived at the barracks of the Moscow regiment, already ready to take the oath, began to assure the soldiers that they were being deceived, that Tsarevich Konstantin had never abdicated the throne and would soon be in St. Petersburg, that he was his adjutant and was sent ahead by him on purpose, etc. . Having captivated the soldiers with such deception, he led them to Senate Square. In the same way, other regiments were brought to the square. At this time, thousands of people gathered on the square and near the embankment of St. Isaac's Cathedral. They worked easier with the common people; they spread a rumor that the legitimate Emperor Constantine was already on his way to St. Petersburg from Warsaw and was taken under arrest near Narva, but soon the troops would free him, and after a while the excited crowd shouted: “Hurray, Constantine!”

4. Provocateurs

Meanwhile, regiments loyal to Emperor Nicholas arrived on the square. A confrontation arose: on the one hand, the rebels and the incited people, on the other, the defenders of the new emperor. Trying to persuade the rebels to return to the officers' barracks, the crowd threw logs from a dismantled woodpile near St. Isaac's Cathedral. One of the rebels, the hero of the Caucasian War Yakubovich, who came to Senate and was appointed commander of the Moscow regiment, referred to headache and disappeared from the square. Then he stood in the crowd near the emperor for several hours, and then approached him and asked permission to go to the rebels to persuade them to lay down their arms. Having received consent, he went to the chain as a parliamentarian and, approaching Kuchelbecker, said in a low voice: “Hold on, they are severely afraid of you,” and left. Today on the Maidan he would be considered a titushka.

5. “Noble” shot

However, soon it came to clashes. General Miloradovich went to the rebels for negotiations and was killed by a shot from Kakhovsky. The hero Kakhovsky, if you look at him through a magnifying glass, turns out to be a very interesting person. A Smolensk landowner, lost to smithereens, he came to St. Petersburg in the hope of finding a rich bride, but he failed. By chance he met Ryleev and he pulled him into a secret society. Ryleev and other comrades supported him in St. Petersburg at their own expense. And when the time came to pay the benefactors’ bills, Kakhovsky, without hesitation, fired. After this, it became clear that it would no longer be possible to reach an agreement.
6. Pointless and merciless

IN Soviet time a myth was created about the unfortunate sufferers - the Decembrists. But for some reason no one is talking about the real victims of this senseless riot. While few were killed among the members of the secret societies who stirred up this mess, the full charm of buckshot was felt by the common people and the soldiers drawn into the massacre. Taking advantage of the indecision of the rebels, Nikolai managed to transfer artillery, shot at the rebels with grapeshot, people and soldiers scattered, many fell through the ice and drowned while trying to cross the Neva. The result is deplorable: among the mob - 903 killed, minors - 150, women - 79, lower ranks of soldiers - 282.

7. Everything is secret...

IN Lately The following version of the reasons for the rebellion is gaining momentum. If you look closely, all the threads lead to Konstantin, in whom you can see the true customer. The Decembrist revolutionaries, who kept papers in their desks about the reconstruction of Russia, the adoption of a constitution, and the abolition of serfdom, for some reason began to force the soldiers to swear allegiance to Constantine. Why did people opposed to the monarchy do this? Maybe because they were directed by someone who benefited from it. It is no coincidence that Nikolai, having begun the investigation into the uprising, and he was personally present during the interrogations, said that they should not look for the guilty, but give everyone the opportunity to justify themselves, since he probably knew who was behind it, and did not want to wash dirty linen in public. Well, one more conspiracy theory and eloquent fact. As soon as Konstantin left Warsaw after the next Polish uprising and ended up in Vitebsk, he suddenly fell ill with cholera and died a few days later.

What other points are not only questioned, but perhaps more “not discussed”?

First of all, regicide.

Moreover, as S. G. Nechaev, the head of the “People’s Retribution” society, later said, “with the entire great litany” (today they would say “the entire payroll”) the august family, including the grand duchesses extradited abroad and their offspring, had to die. So that no one can lay claim to the throne.

The thought of the immorality of such a step, of course, occurred to the leaders of the conspiracy. And if they themselves were ready to step over mental anguish, then neither the crowd, nor numerous ordinary participants, nor even a number of high-ranking brethren, for example, Prince S.P. Trubetskoy, shared their bloodthirsty aspirations.

Therefore, the so-called “act of retaliation” had to be carried out. “doomed cohort” - a detachment of several people who knew in advance that they were sacrificing themselves. They undertook to kill representatives of the royal house, and then the new government of the republic would execute them, dissociating itself from the bloody massacre. So, A.I. Yakubovich promised to shoot Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, and V.K. Kuchelbecker - Mikhail Pavlovich. As the latter later told his brother: “The most amazing thing is that they didn’t kill us.”

The logic is well known: what is the death of one family compared to the happiness of millions? But the extermination of the reigning house seems to give a free hand for bloody atrocities in the rest of the country. The punitive authorities, the creation of which Pestel envisaged, were supposed to number 50 thousand people. Later, 4 thousand served in the Corps of Gendarmes, including the lower ranks - essentially internal troops. Why did Pestel need so much? In order to “persuad” compatriots who do not agree to a republic. So the royal family would be followed not by great, but numerous families. Is it only nobles? Experience of the beginning of the 20th century. shows that it is not far away.

How they handed over their

Historians are now studying internal strife in the circle of conspirators and know that at the Moscow Congress of 1821, for the first time in Russian history, the question of predatory expropriations - money for the revolution - was raised. That spying on each other and opening letters were not alien to the heroes of December 14th. Their behavior after their arrest in the fortress is so shocking to novice researchers that they had to come up with two mutually exclusive myths. The nobleman answers the first request, so the arrested did not hide anything, called their comrades, and told everything they knew.

Another option: the Decembrists wanted to give the impression of a large organization so that the government would be scared and make concessions. Thus, Prince S.G. Volkonsky, at the very first interrogation, listed the names of 22 members of the society, some of whom turned out to be completely uninvolved. That is, he slandered people.

Letters of repentance were written to the emperor, services were offered to reveal “all the hidden sides of the conspiracy.” In the hope of saving themselves, they confessed almost in a race. Perhaps K. F. Ryleev showed more than anyone. Although no methods physical impact was not applied to those arrested. I would very much like to find similar facts in early Soviet historiography. But alas...

And torture was prohibited by law. And the sovereign and the investigators are not cut out for this. Of course, people are not sinless, but there is a line beyond which the authorities at that time did not go. As they wrote then:

“Frightened boys found themselves in the Peter and Paul Fortress, who had been grabbed by the hand after the “festival of disobedience,” and who were now repeating: we won’t do it again.”

Here are excerpts from the book by Prof. Gernet "History of the Tsar's Prison", published by the Bolsheviks.

The Decembrists did not need anything financially. During the 10 years of their stay in hard labor, the prisoners received from relatives, not counting countless parcels of things and food, 354,758 rubles, and their wives - 778,135 rubles, and this is only through official means; undoubtedly, they managed to receive money secretly from the administration.”

A new building with 64 rooms was waiting for them in Petrovskaya. Singles - one, married - two.

They woke up Herzen

It is to A.I. Herzen, a talented journalist who worked in England, that we owe the Decembrist myth. Later, the picture only became more complicated, but did not change in essence.

The printing house of “The Bell” and “The Polar Star” was located in London. England, after the Napoleonic Wars, is the largest heavyweight player on the European stage. The most dangerous enemy of the Russian Empire. Therefore, support for the opposition journalist was always provided. For example, Nikolai Turgenev, one of the then “Decembrist” defectors, was hiding in London. Master of high dedication. The man whom Alexander I was afraid to arrest at home, simply writing to him: “My brother, leave Russia” (by the way, this phrase is disputed). But Nicholas I demanded extradition.

Where would we be without the Masons?

Here is another version:

The entire ideological basis of both the first Russian secret political alliances that arose after the Patriotic War and the later ones is not Russian, foreign. All of them are copied from foreign samples. Some researchers of the history of the Decembrist uprising claim that the charter of the “Union of Welfare” was copied from the charter of the German “Tugendbund”. But most likely, the origins of the political ideas of the Decembrists must be sought in the political ideas of European Freemasonry and in the ideas of the “Great” French Revolution, which again lead us to Masonic ideas about “universal brotherhood, equality and freedom.”

From the same letter from Count Boileconte we learn who the instigators of these rebellious sentiments were. These were the Freemasons, of whom, as we remember, the army abounded.

Many of the Decembrists passed through Masonic lodges. In the charter of the Union of Salvation, Tseitlin rightly points out, “Masonic features are clearly visible, and subsequently one can trace the secret underground streams of Freemasonry in the political movement of those years”. Tseitlin is a Jew and he knew what he was writing.

N. Berdyaev also admits that the Decembrist conspiracy grew ideologically from Masonic ideas.

There is no way to list the names of everyone who, after the end of World War II, were members of Masonic lodges of all kinds. Freemasonry pursued, as before, two goals: to undermine Orthodoxy, the basis of the spiritual identity of the Russian people and the source of its spiritual strength, and to completely undermine the autocracy.

In order to overthrow the autocracy, officers who were members of Masonic lodges began preparations for the destruction of the autocracy. The Decembrist uprising was the realization of the plans of the Freemasons, for which it had been preparing for decades. The Decembrist uprising is essentially an uprising of the Freemasons.

Here is another series of versions for those who might be interested: "Murka" from MUR. Two versions, here it is. Many people argue, is it really? and here . Let's also remember about, as well as The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Decembrist movement (briefly)

The Decembrist uprising was the first open armed uprising in Russia against autocracy and serfdom. The uprising was organized by a group of like-minded nobles, most of whom were guards officers. The attempted coup took place on December 14 (26), 1825 in St. Petersburg, on Senate Square and was suppressed by troops loyal to the emperor.

Background

The reason for the Decembrist uprising was the situation that developed with the succession to the throne after the death of Emperor Alexander I. This is because after the death of the emperor, his brother, Constantine, was to become sovereign. But, even when Alexander I was alive, Constantine abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother Nicholas. The fact that Constantine renounced was not publicly announced, and the people, the army, the state apparatus, due to a lack of information, swore allegiance to Constantine. When it officially became clear that Constantine had abdicated the throne, a re-oath was appointed for December 14, which the conspirators took advantage of.

Uprising plan

The plan for the uprising was adopted on December 13 during meetings of society members at Ryleev’s apartment in St. Petersburg. Decisive importance was attached to the success of performances in the capital. At the same time, troops were supposed to move out in the south of the state, in the 2nd Army. One of the founders of the Salvation Union, S.P., was chosen to play the role of dictator of the uprising. Trubetskoy, colonel of the guard, famous and popular among the soldiers.

On the appointed day, it was decided to withdraw troops to Senate Square, prevent the oath of the Senate and State Council to Nikolai Pavlovich and, on their behalf, publish the “Manifesto to the Russian People,” which proclaimed the abolition of serfdom, freedom of the press, conscience, occupation and movement, and the introduction of universal military service instead of recruitment, the destruction of classes.

Progress of the uprising

1825, December 14, morning - the Moscow Life Guards Regiment entered Senate Square, joined by the Guards Marine Crew and the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment, totaling about 3 thousand people. Trubetskoy, chosen as dictator, did not appear. The rebel regiments continued to stand on Senate Square until the conspirators could come to a consensus on the appointment of a new leader.

Who knew about the preparation of the conspiracy, took the oath of the Senate in advance and, having gathered troops loyal to him, surrounded the rebels. After negotiations, in which Metropolitan Seraphim and Governor General of St. Petersburg M.A. took part on behalf of the government. Miloradovich (who was mortally wounded) Nicholas I gave the order to use artillery. The Decembrist uprising was suppressed.

On December 29, the uprising of the Chernigov regiment began under the leadership of S.I. Muravyov-Apostol. However, already on January 2 it was suppressed with the help of government troops.

Consequences

Arrests of participants and instigators began throughout Russia. 579 people were involved in the Decembrist case. 287 were found guilty. Five were sentenced to death (P.I. Pestel, K.F. Ryleev, S.I. Muravyov-Apostol, P.G. Kakhovsky, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin). 120 people were sent to hard labor in Siberia or to a settlement.

Causes of defeat

Lack of support from all sectors of society, which was not prepared for radical changes;

Narrow social base focused on military revolution and conspiracy;

Lack of necessary unity and consistency in actions;

Bad conspiracy, as a result the government knew about the plans of the rebels;

The unpreparedness of the majority of educated society and the nobility to eliminate autocracy and serfdom;

Cultural and political backwardness of the peasantry and ordinary army personnel.

Historical meaning

Having lost in the socio-political struggle, the rebels won a spiritual and moral victory and showed an example of true service to their fatherland and people.

The experience of the Decembrist uprising became the subject of reflection for the fighters against the monarchy and serfdom that followed them, and influenced the entire course of the Russian liberation movement.

The Decembrist movement had a great influence on the development of Russian culture.

But, based on the specific historical situation, the defeat of the Decembrists noticeably weakened the intellectual potential of Russian society, provoked an increase in the government’s reaction, and delayed, according to P.Ya. Chaadaev, development of Russia for 50 years.